RECORD STORE DAY 2016 - "MY FIRST RECORD..."

Held annually on the third Saturday of April, Record Store Day is the day audiophiles across the nation look forward to each year: a day when the most exclusive rarities on vinyl are released in limited stores in the UK.

Ahead of 2016's event, happening this Saturday 16th April, we spoke to some concert promoters and live events bods about what their first album/record purchase was. We had only one rule - no lying, no matter how embarrassing it is! Check out their stories below:

Mazin - Communion Music Promoter, Festival Booker, Radio X DJ

What was the first record you ever bought and how old were you?

The first full length album I ever bought was The Verve - Urban Hymns, on tape. I was 12.

What's the story behind the purchase? Do you still have the record now?

Honestly, it was so long ago, I can’t really remember, but I do remember being surrounded by my brothers friends all listening to Radiohead / Oasis / Blur, so I probably heard Bittersweet Symphony somewhere and decided to buy the tape for what would have been a whopping £16.99 at the time. Yes, I still have it!

Favourite track?

Lucky Man.

Rachael - Bloodstock Festival Director

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

David Lee Roth – Just Like Paradise, 14 years old

Is there a story behind it?

I loved Van Halen in the day but he left to pursue a solo career and I was gutted at the time!

Do you still have it?

No, wish I  had – can still see myself now walking into WayAhead in Derby to buy it – used to spend ages looking through vinyl back then.

Kelly - Creative Designer at Victorious Festival

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

Cold Cave - Love Comes Close. I was very late into the record game... 22!

Is there a story behind it?

Back when I was a whippersnapper in a band - we were the support act for a tour with Cold Cave and The Editors. I bought it as a souvenir! 

Danni - Head Promoter at The Sugarmill

What was the first album you ever owned? How old were you?

Many singles beforehand, but first album was Definitely Maybe by Oasis. I saved up my pocket money and bought it on tape. I was 7 years old. My mum was really into indie and britpop, so I always had a more mature taste in music nestling there next to my typical 7-year-old Smash Hits type pop stuff.

Is there a story behind it?

Not behind buying this album as such, but my Mum went to Trentham Gardens in 1995 to see Oasis, and I cried and refused to speak to her for a whole week (quite a feat for an 8-year-old), as I couldn't understand why I wasn't allowed to go too.

Favourite track on the record?

Probably would say Married With Children, not necessarily because it's the best track on the album, but I played it a lot and sang it at the top of my lungs (probably because it had a swear word in it). Always reminds me of sitting in my bedroom with my big red tape player.

Do you still have it?

I do! I threw all of my tapes away when I started to get music on CD, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of that one, as it has special memories.

Mark - Marketing and Social Media at SJM Concerts

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

Phats & Small – Turn Around (on Tape), I was 8 or 9.

What's the story behind it?

I used to make my own radio shows from a young age mixing tapes on my old school tape deck passed down from my older brother and remember going into HMV and buy my first bundle including this one. Needed to get some of my own music rather than using family hand me downs!

Do you still have it?

Unfortunately not, still have a few tapes but not this one!

Jim - Marketing Manager at Village Underground

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

The Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation, 11 years old.

Is there a story behind it?

Bought it second hand from a long since disappeared, weird, Preston based alt-cafe called 'The Zoo' because I couldn't afford the first hand jewel case CD from the excellent Action Records which was just around the corner.

Favourite track on the record?

Voodoo People

Do you still have it?

Yes, just not on display in a CD rack where I live.

Nathan - Marketing and Brand Manager at MJR Group

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

My Morning Jacket ‎– Z - 14 years old.

Favourite track on the record?

Into The Woods

Do you still have it?

Absolutely and it's still one of my favourites!

Errin - Club Promotions and Marketing Assistant at Trof Group

What was the first record you ever owned?

I’ve never really bought records, I travel and have lived abroad a lot so I can’t take them with me! I’ve started to buy some now but when I was younger my mum had a cellar full of old records that she would let me raid, so those felt like my first records. I always remember my favourite ones to stick on the record player were a Rolling Stones LP and Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. Without doubt, ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ is still one of my favourite ever tracks.

Ade - Live Programming Manager at Trof Group

What was the first record you ever owned?

I was given Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells at a young age on LP and Cassette. It would have been 1987 so I would've been 5.

Is there a story behind it?

My mum of all people would put it on in the car after school. If I was in trouble (which was every day if I recall) then this would get played, loudly. There’s a section on Side B that has this horrendous voice talking which freaked me out and after while stopped me from being in trouble. Also I was aware of this being from The Exorcist at such a young age I was just immensely terrified of this music and it’s connections to that film!

Do you still have it?

Yes I do, it’s a stunning record with a great story behind the production, Virgin and the turmoils of Mike Oldfield. My second record was Guns & Roses Appetite for Destruction. Was a nice change from being forced prog rock at a young age to put me in line and then reformed me back into a little terror! Circle complete.

Josh - Marketing at One Inch Badge

What was the first record you ever owned? How old were you?

The first album I ever bought with my own money was System of a Down - Toxicity. I had to get my sister to buy it as I was too young and I paid her back with my pocket money and by doing her chores for 2 months. I was 10.

Is there a story behind it?

My sister was massively into that scene as a teenager and I heard her listening to it in her room and asked her who it was. I remember it being fascinatingly weird and it blew my mind how heavy it was  (the innocence of youth)

Favourite track on the record?

Science

Do you still have it?

Still in its smashed crystal case from where it spent years in the bottom of my schoolbag as I listened to it on my way to school. Still know every word. #metalamnesty

Dan - Director at Anaconda Media

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you at the time?

I always used to just listen to my dads records when young! The likes of Pink Floyd, The Who, The Animals. However the first I bought was Audioslave’s first album which came out in 2002! Wicked album. I'd have been 14 then!

Is there a story behind it?

It’s the album that really introduced me into the rock world, at the first possible opportunity I went to see them live at the MEN arena in Manchester, was stuck right in the pit with my brother (also a massive fan), shirt off, sweaty as hell but loving life!

Favourite track on the record?

‘Show Me How To Live’ and ‘I Am The Highway'

Do you still have it?

I do! I have the physical record still but I admit it’s not been touched since the dawn of Spotify.

Michael - Music Strategist at Vision Nine Group

What was the first record you ever owned?

Band On The Run – Paul McCartney & Wings. (The first piece of music I ever bought though was Here Come The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze on single tape from Woolies).

How old were you?

About 5… by the time I’d decided they were the favourite songs my mum was playing. It became ‘my’ record not long after

What's the story behind it?

I actually thought everyone on the cover art was in the band. Imagine Christopher Lee and Clement Freud in the same band? I’d have paid to see that.

Favourite track on the record?

Jet

Do you still have it?

No, my mum’s become temporary guardian again!

Dave - CEO at Liverpool Sound City

What was the first record you ever owned and how old were you?

The first record I ever bought with my own hard earned cash was Fox On The Run by The Sweet.  I remember being blown away by them on TOTP. I was 12 years old.

Is there a story behind it?

I used to have a babysitter who was obsessed with Bowie and he got me into all the Glam Rock scene.  He used to come to our house looking like some other worldly being and bombard my ears with Bowie, Roxy Music and all other amazing music.  I think The Sweet crept in there and they obviously had an impact on my first ever impulse buy!

My first album that I think I bought of my own free will was probably Hunky Dory.  My favourite track on this album remains the same from that day to this which is Quicksand.

Do you still have it?

Yes!  I have a massive vinyl collection that I have built over 40 years and I am proud to say I have never sold a single record.  I am delighted to say my son Max Elvis also now gets pleasure out of it!

Andy - Digital Marketing Manager at DHP Family

What was the first record you ever owned? How old were you?

Shallow Waters by Sharks on 10” Purple Clear vinyl. I was 18.

Is there a story behind it?

I was pretty late to the record game and actually bought this record long before I even had a record player to play it on. I had the pleasure of running the merch desk for the band on the odd occasion and hanging out with the lads quite a bit towards the back end of the 00’s, even listening to the masters of the record with them in a Wetherspoons pub. As soon as it came out I couldn’t wait to pick it up whether I had anything to play it on or not because I knew it was an incredibly special record both musically and personally.

Favourite track on the record?

It Threatens

Do you still have it?

Absolutely!

Will - Events Managment at See Tickets

What was the first record you ever owned? How old were you?

I bought Three Lions by Baddiel & Skinner & Lightning Seeds on tape in May 1996, I was 9.

Is there a story behind it?

I went on holiday that summer and listened to that one song on repeat for a whole week.

Ben - Events Management at See Tickets

What was the first record you ever owned?

“Ragga Heat Reggae Beat” – Various Artists.

How old were you?

7

Is there a story behind it?

I had heard the opening track “Sweat” by Inner Circle, when sat in the back seat of Dad’s car. I remember bobbing along to it, and asking Dad about it. Later that week he handed me the album. I was so happy and this was all I played for a very long time.

Favourite track on the record?

“Up Town Top Ranking” by Althea & Donna

Do you still have it?

Oh yes!

Mark - Head of On-Site Services at See Tickets

What was your first record and how old were you?

Huey Lewis & The News – The Power Of Love 7” single. 10 years old (1988)

Is there a story behind it?

I don’t remember a lot from my early years but for some reason this is crystal clear. I went into town with my Mum to Roulette Records in Worksop with the intention of buying my first record. I didn’t specifically go to buy it (it had been out a few years by then) but once I saw it I remember being really excited at the prospect of getting it home and pretending I was Marty McFly.

As it was the first record I had ever owned, I was being extra careful about not losing it on the bus. So my bright idea was to sit on it to keep it safe. When I got home I ran to the record player, pulled it from the sleeve – and only half of it came out…  It had literally snapped in two thanks to my bright idea of keeping it safe. I wasn’t even that big as a child. Needless to say I was proper gutted. We actually took it back the next day to say it was already broken when we got home and wanted a replacement. Which they bizarrely did! From that day onwards I never sat on vinyl again. And the bridge in Power Of Love is still the best bridge in the world.

Do you still have it?

My dad sold it at a car boot sale… along with some original Star Wars and M.A.S.K. toys - I was mortified.

Rich - Business Development Manager at See Tickets

What was the first record you owned?

Now that’s What I Call Music 1993. The best one.

How old were you?

I’d have been 8 years old when this was given to me. Pretty sure this was also the year when I thought I’d give the curtains hairstyle a go.

What's the story behind it?

A birthday present, the start of a long unwanted tradition of me receiving “Now that’s What I Call Music…” compilation albums from my family. That said, I think about 90% of my childhood memories revolve around this album. I can’t say whether that was due to the strength of the album, or whether my childhood was just a massive disappointment.

What was your favourite track?

2016 me would probably say Animal Nitrate by Suede deserve that honour, but 9 year old me wasn’t quite in to androgynous indie music yet, so it was probably Informer by Snow because I think it was supposed to have a rude word in it, but I couldn’t for the life of my work out what it was.

Honourable mentions for Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) by Sub Set and Vain by Culture Beat. Probably both due a comeback.

Sarah - Marketing Assistant at See Tickets

What was the first record you ever owned?

I've been buying music since I was probably about 5 years old, but since that was the early-mid 90s, vinyl records weren't really a thing anymore. But since their revival I've started collecting and my first vinyl record was The Cure's "The Head On The Door".

How old were you?

I was in my second year at college, so 18.

Is there a story behind it?

I'd been mentioning in passing to pretty much anyone I knew that I wanted to start collecting records and wanted a turntable.  I was also really into The Cure at the time. For Christmas, my boyfriend bought me a little turntable and this record as he told me he didn't want me to be disappointed if I didn't get one from any of my family. I played it non stop for weeks as it was the only one I had.

As it happens, my dad also got me a turntable that same Christmas along with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon", so I ended up with two!

Favourite track on the record?

Probably "Push" or "Inbetween Days", both of which I saw them perform live just 8-9 months later at Leeds Festival!

Do you still have it?

Of course.

Chris - Customer Services at See Tickets

What was the first record you owned? How old were you?

Rage Against The Machine’s eponymous (means self titled) debut was the first album I ever owned. I did not buy it, it was bought for me as a present you may say and it was a present as it was bought by a friend for a birthday. It was a cassette which is hard to describe. Imagine an LP had a baby out of wedlock with a video cassette et voila. I was sweet little sixteen or fifteen. Math is difficult. Moving into ’92. Still in a room without a view. Quite.

Favourite track?

My favourite track is surely Killing in the Name. They performed on The Word and they swore on TV. Swearing. I mean swearing. Like Sailors. Like Navvies. Like. I didn’t swear in the house. F bombs were being blitzkrieged. My ears were bleeding in awe and horror.  Climaxing in a word that to even think about caused heart and lungs and blood to stop flowing in apoplexy.

Do you still have it?

I no longer have the cassette. Or any other for that matter. But give me a Walkman. Preferably in purple and I'm there.

I have the album on mp3. Which is hard to describe. Imagine a piece of music with no physical tangibility. Or skin. Or shell. Or coat. On a computer. Or tablet. Or android. Or iPhone.